Imprimis breezes for Royal Ascot trip

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The road to Royal Ascot continued Friday morning at Gulfstream Park for the Grade 2-winning turf sprint specialist Imprimis. Working on the dirt, Imprimis breezed an easy half-mile in 48.25 seconds before galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.75 over a track dulled some by rain the previous day.

Imprimis earned himself the chance to compete in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes going five furlongs on June 18 by virtue of his outstanding victory in the Grade 2 Shakertown on April 6 at Keeneland. The son of Broken Vow won by just a neck, but he overcame an horrendous start and wide trip to run down the pacesetting Bound for Nowhere in the closing yards. Imprimis had earned a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure winning the Silks Run Stakes in his seasonal debut here four weeks earlier.

Imprimis was purchased privately by Breeze Easy LLC and turned over to trainer Joe Orseno after capturing his first two starts, which came here during February 2018. Breeze Easy has already tasted the Royal Ascot experience, having won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes with the Wesley Ward-trained Shang Shang Shang last year.

“The owners have already had success at Royal Ascot with Shang Shang Shang and are dying to go back,” Orseno said. “Our major goal for Imprimis this year is the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and they told me if going over there would mess up that plan not to do it. But it really doesn’t. The timing is perfect coming off the Keeneland race, and Ascot falls right into place with future plans, which calls for two more starts prior to the Breeders’ Cup. So he’ll have plenty of time to get over the trip and to get ready for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Friday’s breeze was the second for Imprimis since the Shakertown. He’s scheduled to have two more before departing here June 2. Paco Lopez has been aboard Imprimis for his two wins this year but will be replaced by Frankie Dettori in the King’s Stand.

“At the time we decided we were going to Ascot, Paco had a 60-day suspension and wouldn’t have been available for the race,” Orseno said. “Paco has since had the suspension reduced, but we’d already reached out to Frankie. He took one look at the films and jumped right on him.”